


The Joke Mask

by JustAnEvildoer



Category: IT - Stephen King
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Eddie Kaspbrak Loves Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier-centric, Endgame Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Gay Richie Tozier, IT - Freeform, IT: Chapter Two, Inspired by Stephen King, M/M, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, Spoilers for IT (King)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-05
Updated: 2019-09-05
Packaged: 2020-10-10 16:01:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20530703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAnEvildoer/pseuds/JustAnEvildoer
Summary: 'He knows' - this thought started to cycle inside Tozier's head. But did he really? After all, he didn't say what he realized…Major spoilers from the book and "Chapter Two" movie.





	The Joke Mask

**Author's Note:**

> Warning!!  
Contains major spoilers from the book and "IT: Chapter Two" movie. You read it at your own risk.
> 
> Also this is my 2nd fanfiction I wrote in English and it's pretty spontaneous, so sorry for all the errors, in advance.

_Finally. Richie and Eddie were all alone at the Losers' lodge without other members of the club. Bev, Bill, Mike and Stan went with Ben to bring a few new wooden balks, because some of them were already a little destroyed. And now, Kaspbrak and Tozier were lying down on a hammock opposite each other in a really unusual silence. After all, Richie wasn't a quiet person, so it's not surprising that Eddie thought that calmness was weird. But, at the same time, it was kind of better, because he actually wanted to talk with Trashmouth about something._  
  
_ Kaspbrak just opened his mouth, wanting to start a conversation, when at the same time Tozier spoke up._  
  
_ “Hey, Eddie, look at that!”, he raised his voice a little and got closer to Edward, showing a friend the skin magazine he brought from home. “Doesn't she look like your mother?”, Richie asked, pointing at the girl on one page, which actually was kind of similar to his mom. “Doesn't she? You like it, don't you, Eds?”, Tozier smiled widely and - in Kaspbrak's opinion - stupidly._  
  
_ It shouldn't be shocking that Edward frowned, really flustered at this moment - __which was obvious, looking at his blushed cheeks. Seriously, that jerk… He always knew how to unhinge him._  
  
_ “N-no! I don't! Fuck! Get that away from me, you idiot!!”, Eddie shouted, recoiling from Richie and covering his own eyes with hands._  
  
_ “Oi, come on, Edsss, I know you like iiiit. There's nothing to be ashamed oooff.”_  
  
_ “Stop calling me Eds, I don't like that! And I don't like that photo either!”_  
  
_ “Oh? You don't like **that** photo? Should I show you the next one?”_  
  
_ “No, stupid, I don't wanna see it at all, just stop!! I wanted to talk to you, but not about t-things like this..!”_  
  
_ “Huh?”, Tozier put off the magazine on the hammock, clearly curious, what Eddie wanted to talk about with him. “About what then?”_  
  
_ Kaspbrak uncovered his face a little and breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that Richie was no longer showing him **that** page. He set his hands back from the face and looked at a friend seriously._  
  
_ “Woah, woah, what's with that look, buddy?”, Tozier asked, raising his hands up a little, visibly surprised with a sudden change in Eddie's emotions._  
  
_ “I know what you're doing, Richie,” he said, still with that serious look on his face, which kind of started to bother a foul-mouthed boy._  
  
_ “What am I doing?”, he asked, not really knowing what's that all about. But some part of him deep inside, had an idea, what Eds had in mind._  
  
_ “Oh, come on, Richie! I'm not stupid!”_  
  
_ “Oi, Eddie, I really don't know what--”_  
  
_ “These all jokes, stupid, perverted jokes…”, Kaspbrak chopped Tozier off. “The jokes you mostly tell, when I'm with you. You really think I have no idea what is going on? I mean, okay, I maybe don't have a complete idea, what's going on, but that doesn't mean that I'm so stupid and didn't realize anything!”, Eddie shouted, evidently getting angry at Richie._  
  
_ '**He knows**' - this thought started to cycle inside Tozier's head. But did he really? After all, he didn't say what he realized…_  
  
_ Seeing that Richie didn't answer anything, completely frozen, Edward sighed and decided to continue his statement._  
  
_ “Rich, I'm gonna ask you this only one time. After that, I will never talk about it again, but I need to ask you this…”_  
  
_ “A-ask away…!”, Tozier shouted, but not so steadily as usual. Yes… He was afraid. Afraid of what question Eddie will ask him. Kaspbrak looked straight into friend's eyes._  
  
_ “...Richie, are you in love with me?”, he asked and Tozier suddenly felt like the ground under his feet was falling._  
  
_ '**He knows**' - those thoughts started to get louder and louder. A thousand of possible scenarios ran through his head, faster than ever before. He can't tell him the truth. No way...! What if… What if Eds will start to hate him after that? They wouldn't be friends anymore. And Richie didn't want their friendship to end like this. He wanted to be Kaspbrak's friend. He wanted it, because this way he could still be close to him somehow… Maybe not the way, he wanted, but still…_  
  
_ And that's why Richie eventually burst with fake laughter._  
  
_ “What?! **Me**?! In love with **you**?! Haha, that's a good one, Eddie!!”, he shouted, hurting himself with his own words._

_“…so you claim you aren't…?”, Eddie asked. And if only Tozier would look at his face at this moment, he would see a shade of disappointment… But he didn't._  
  
_ “Why would I?! Geez, Eddie, when you say something…!!”, Richie shouted again, still laughing as hard as he could. Over time, Kaspbrak started laughing with him… frantically._

Tozier smiled sadly, looking at his and Eddie's initials, which he cut on this bridge already twenty-seven years ago. On this bridge, where he was sitting right now. Where he was thinking about him… About Eddie… About his first love, which today died, because of It…  
  
He was so stupid… Such a stupid kid… Why he didn't realize… Why he didn't realize back then, why Eddie was asking him about that…? And why he remembered about it only now… now when he… he…  
  
Richie quickly took off his glasses and wiped away tears that suddenly filled his eyes.  
  
“Well… That was a good one, Eddie…”, he laughed sadly, looking up to Kaspbrak's initial. He put his glasses on again, so he could see it more clearly. “…I am in love with you, Eddie… I'm sorry I didn't say that sooner… but… but I can promise you that now, I will always remember you… I will never forget you,” Richie smiled. But now… Now his smile was much more sincere…  
  
“Ah, one more thing,” he spoke up, when - after a while - he stood up off the bridge. “That joke… with you fucking my mother. It was good. But you know, I was inside your mother first, Edsss,” Tozier smiled _stupidly_ \- as Kaspbrak would think.  
  
Richie knew he hated it. The nickname he gave him. _Eds_. But what he didn't know… is that Eddie always secretly liked it.


End file.
